How we did it● Comprehensive CRM analysis● Internal staff and stakeholder

workshops● University-wide attitudinal

student survey● Segmentation and key driver

analysis● Co-creation focus groups

CASESTUDY

ChallengeLoughborough University is one of the UK's top campusinstitutions with a reputation for delivering a world-classexperience to more than 16,000 students.

To support its strong and consistent performance in therankings, Loughborough University continues to look forways to develop and enhance its offering. However, thelimitations of existing Student Experience research werebecoming clear - it was increasingly difficult to identify real,actionable insights that would lead directly to a positiveimpact on students.

Getting the attention of studentswho have become adept atignoring literally hundreds ofmessages every day is the biggestcommunication challenge weface.Andy ParsonsUnion Director

ApproachA fresh approach was needed to overcome the limitationsof traditional demographic thinking, and find new ways ofunderstanding increasingly diverse groups of students.

Red Brick worked closely with the Loughborough team toreview and analyse existing research, CRM data, andinherited wisdom within the organisation to inform thestudy design and ensure maximum value was extractedout of existing resources.

Exploratory focus group work informed the development ofa structured university-wide survey of student attitudes,motivations, expectations and behaviours. The survey was

distributed to the entire student population includingpostgraduates, internationals, mature and part-timestudents, and was supported by a teaser campaign andcomprehensive promotional activity.

The resulting data was processed and analysed to identifya small and cohesive set of attitudinal segments.

The segments were then studied in more detail and refinedthrough a series of co-creative student workshops, leadingto the final set of well-rounded and thoroughly profiled'Tribes'; Party People, Leading Lights, ConscientiousCarers, Flow Goers and Academic Individualists.

‘Tribes’ student segmentationLSU / Loughborough University

What we delivered● Engaging and usable student

segment profiles● Strategic recommendations

based on predictive models● Golden Question segment

allocation algorithm● Dramatic increase in comms

engagement

Further statistical analysis was conducted for each Tribe,to identify and map their different Key Drivers ofsatisfaction and engagement. Predictive models weredeveloped to estimate the impact of differentengagement strategies and produce a clear set ofstrategic priorities.

InsightEach of the Tribes represents a diverse demographiccross-section of the student population, whonevertheless share key common characteristics thatinfluence the way they experience their university lifeand interact with on-campus services andcommunications.

This alternative approach to understanding studentshas enabled Loughborough to look beyond basedemographics and to think more creatively abouthow to meet their needs.

'Tribes thinking' has already been influential across awide spectrum of university and students' unionactivity, from strategic planning and brand strategythrough to campaigning and sports development.

ImpactCommunications strategies have been developed to target different Tribes with relevant information aligned to theirinterests. This targeted approach is helping to cut through the 'noise', leading to a dramatic increase in email openrates and subsequent benefits such as a significant boost in student union democratic participation.

Existing union and university services have been re-imagined with the Tribes in mind, and KPIs have been defined toensure that changes are delivering higher levels of satisfaction and broader engagement from traditionally hard-to-reach student groups.

Tribes has now been integrated directly into the heart of the student enrolment process with students allocated andmoved between Tribes based on a small set of five Golden Questions and a sophisticated algorithm developed by RedBrick Research.

In addition to its direct application to communications and service design, Tribes is increasingly integrated into otherstudent-focused research undertaken by the university itself, providing a fresh perspective and an alternative prism ontothe student population that is proving to be a powerful and robust tool for change.

The Tribes have become central to what we do, the way think, the way weplan and they have gained increasing traction right across the university.Andy ParsonsUnion Director

© Red Brick Media Group Ltd., all rights reserved. Red Brick Research is a trading name of Red Brick Media Group Ltd. The Red Brick logo, brickle and tagline are trademarks or Red Brick Media Group Ltd. All othertrademarks are the property of their respective owners. Photos courtesy of Loughborough University Student’s Union.

1 Mount Ephraim RoadTunbridge WellsTN1 1ET

01892 249 650info@redbrickresearch.co.ukwww.redbrickresearch.co.uk

PARTYPEOPLE

12%

30%

24%

20%

13%

FLOWGOERS

LEADINGLIGHTS

ACADEMICINDIVIDUALISTS

CONSCIENTIOUSCARERS